(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices and vehicles which hold or transport goods, materials, people, plants or animals (hereinafter called “cargo”), and more particularly to devices and vehicles which would be safer and easier to operate and provide greater utility, convenience and comfort by utilizing a balanced, self-leveling, independent receptacle suspended from a double-axis gimbal that can be locked in various positions or unlocked so gravity will level the receptacle. Examples of such devices and vehicles include: hand trucks, wheelbarrows, wagons, carts, trailers, truck beds, farm machinery, wheelchairs, ambulance cots, boat chairs, baby strollers, off-road vehicles, golf carts, display racks, storage bins, tool and implement holders, food bowls, shipping containers, plus other devices yet to be developed.
(2) Description of Related Art
Perhaps the simplest way to understand the function and benefits of this new invention is to know how it would work on a specific application, such as a wheelbarrow. This application will be described and illustrated in detail so the advantages provided by the new invention can be readily visualized and comprehended; not just for its use on a wheelbarrow, but for all the devices previously mentioned.
As is well known, wheelbarrows generally have one or two wheels in front, two straight or contoured handles extending back to the user, an open receptacle supported by and affixed to the handles and two support legs beneath the handles.
When the user lifts the handles of a conventional wheelbarrow, the rear of the receptacle is higher than the front of the receptacle. If the wheelbarrow is used on an uphill or downhill slope, or to traverse diagonally across a slope, the user has to watch the contents of the receptacle and raise or lower the handles to keep the receptacle level; while at the same time try to keep his footing. In those situations, it is difficult to steer and balance the wheelbarrow to avoid spilling its contents, or as is often the case, from tipping the wheelbarrow over completely.
Various inventions have been developed to try to keep a wheelbarrow level on a sloping ground, but none have had a self-leveling receptacle on a double-axis gimbal so the receptacle can tilt forward and back and swivel from side to side, utilizing gravity to keep it level, and a lock to hold the receptacle in a fixed position when desired.
Examples of prior art wheelbarrows and hand trucks are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,934,728 B2 to Guye Strobel, showing a two-wheeled wheelbarrow with a rotating axle that allows the wheels to swivel with the slope of the terrain; U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,887 to Glen L. Bobst for a two-wheeled wheelbarrow for added efficiency and stability; U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,583 to Thomas E. Hansen for a water cart for suspension of a water bucket for use in concrete finishing work; U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,033 B1 to Bryce Knoll for a wheelbarrow for transporting four circular buckets; U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,676 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,980 B2, both to Seth Murph Capers, Jr., and Seth Murphy Capers, for adjustable leg supports to keep the wheelbarrow level on a slope when parked; U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,026 B2 to Richard J. Morris for a two-wheeled wheelbarrow with an undercarriage that pivots relative to the top portion of the frame.
These patents and others all address the instability and inadequacies of common wheelbarrows. However, they do not show specific elements of the preferred embodiment of a wheelbarrow which utilizes the new invention. Therefore there exists a need in the art for a new and improved wheelbarrow which has: 1) a balanced, self-leveling, independent receptacle suspended from a double-axis gimbal; 2) with said receptacle formed in a balanced, bowl-like shape capable of transporting fluids or other viscous cargoes such as mortar and cement, without tipping and spilling; 3) a supporting framework holding the gimbal and receptacle; 4) a locking mechanism to secure the receptacle in various positions or release it so gravity will level it; 5) a trigger mechanism that allows the user to lock or unlock the receptacle without losing control of the wheelbarrow; 6) adjustable pivot bearings on the gimbal that allow the user to regulate the swinging inertia of the receptacle when it is unlocked; 7) an independent receptacle which can be removed for transport, cleaning and storage, and replaced with other receptacles.